Mourinho hopes international managers protect Spurs players

Tottenham are currently having to play as many as three games a week

LONDON:

Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho has called on national team managers to protect his players during the upcoming international break given their workload in recent weeks.

Spurs are having to play as many as three games a week as they negotiate the Europa League qualifying rounds, with Premier League and League Cup matches also in the mix.

"I hope the national team coaches have their data and they realise how many minutes Tottenham players have played this week," Mourinho said after Spurs defeated Chelsea in a penalty shootout in the League Cup on Tuesday.

"I hope they care about the players and they protect them because Tottenham players this week they have an incredible amount of minutes and work and it's very, very dangerous."

Mourinho said he took a risk by starting Eric Dier two days after the England international played 90 minutes in the 1-1 Premier League draw with Newcastle United.

"What I did today with Dier today was very, very dangerous," Mourinho said.

Spurs face Maccabi Haifa in the final qualifying round of the Europa League on Thursday before a trip to Manchester United in the league on Sunday.